Short Circuit getting a 'dark' remake

Ever watch 1986 family comedy Short Circuit and think "Man, that film needs a darker remake"?

Well, surprisingly, you're not alone. Director Tim Hill is taking on the reboot and giving things a much more sinister tinge.

The original told the story of Johnny (Number 5), a robot designed as a futuristic weapon for the Cold War. After a lightning storm he escapes from the experimental electronics facility where he was built and is pursued by scientists from the facility (Steve Guttenberg and Fisher Stevens), but is soon adopted by the slightly loopy Stephanie Speck (Ally Sheedy), who thinks he’s an alien.

“These are heavy themes for a family movie," Hill told the LA Times, recognising that it’s a unique plot to resurrect, "But I think they can have their place.”

When asked about the look of Johnny, Hill seems to have a fresh approach. “You’ve got to find the balance between something fierce and something endearing,” he said. “The original was cute. But no one was threatened by it.”

Sheedy's character will be replaced with, you guess it, a teenager and Hill looks forward to replicating the pivotal moment "when Johnny realizes he’s going to be disassembled and contemplates death, and whether it’s right to terminate someone else."